Congratulations, Guardiola Achieves LMA Award Manager Of The Year

Pep Guardiola (Twitter @ManCity)

JAKARTA - Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola has been awarded LMA Manager of the Year 2021 by the Premier League Managers' Association.

Guardiola has led City to the Premier League and League Cup titles this season. And on Saturday, The Citizens are aiming to be crowned the best club in Europe for the first time when they face their fellow English rivals Chelsea in the Champions League final in Porto.

Former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager Guardiola topped the polls where other key contenders were Marcelo Bielsa of Leeds, Daniel Farke of Norwich, Chelsea women's team manager Emma Hayes, David Moyes of West Ham, and Brendan Rodgers of Leicester.

"I am delighted to win the LMA Manager of the year award for the second time," Guardiola said, as reported by Antara from AFP.

"For me, it's a special trophy to win because it was chosen by my fellow managers. An award like this is only possible if a manager is surrounded by top professionals," he said.

"My players are amazing too - their dedication and professionalism never wavered, even in the most challenging season we've ever had," said the 50-year-old, whose mother passed away during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"And my staff also deserves the highest praise. I am very fortunate to have a team that gives everything they have every day to make sure Manchester City is the best we can be. This award is dedicated and shared with them," he said.

Our boss 💙

Congrats to Pep, the @LMA_Managers Manager of the Year! 🏆

🔷 #ManCity | https://t.co/axa0klD5re pic.twitter.com/fVH9Iay1AK

— Manchester City (@ManCity) May 24, 2021

Alex Ferguson, the former Manchester United manager who won many trophies, and is now a member of the LMA committee, paid tribute to Guardiola by saying: "In addition to being a truly talented manager and leader, you always show admirable humility and composure. And I must be very proud."

A few days earlier it was announced that City defender Ruben Dias was voted player of the year by the English Football Writers.